Why the Church of England is weak

Here is an article about the Queen and the Prince of Wales' concern regarding the comments by Dr. Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury. You can link to what he actually said but basically he was ruminating about some "inevitable" incorporation of sharia law in the UK.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/02/13/nsharia113.xml

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OK, here's the problem. The inherent false basis of the COE is coming home to roost as politics and political correctness have overwhelming importance over the actual Christian faith. Remember that the COE was a political action conducted by the King Henry VIII (who by the way is not reincarnated.. yes I know you all are tired of hearing me rant on that subject, but not nearly as tired as I am at having to repeat it.. I do know at least one idiot who believed he was reincarnated Henry VIII) so that he could have a divorce, which the Catholic Church would not grant. There was nothing wrong with his wife, simply that she did not bear a child and he grew impatient. So there was no reason for annulment and when the Catholic Church would not grant it King Henry forced his entire country away from the Catholic Church and made the remnants of the faith subordinate to the monarchy, and to this day it remains subordinate to the state. So despite richness of liturgy that kept individual faith close in appearance and some substance to the Catholic Church, the entire focus of the COE became "anti" rather than "pro." Rather than being "pro" their faith, as are Catholics and Muslims, COE became "anti-Catholics" "anti-Popery" and "anti-religiosity."

Instead of reconnecting with their Christian roots the COE as a whole has become more and more a spin machine for social agenda. It is not surprising that their Sunday service attendance figures have plummeted, they have schism, AND they have an Archbishop more worried about sharia law so that the UK can be "fair" than he is worried about Jesus Christ.

You can understand it simply like this. Rather than being in harmony with Muslims his comments show an opposite point of view. To Muslims Islam comes first, not the government. Islam is not the national religion in countries like Saudi Arabia because "the government says so." The countries that have a predominant population of Muslims have chosen to designate their religion as the state religion. This is obvious in the case where Saudi Arabia has the responsibility for the treasures of Islam, such as hosting the haj. Much of the government's reason for existence is to be gracious hosts to the guests of God. It is the same with The Vatican. It's not like The Vatican "decided" to be Catholic; it exists because that "is" the place where they host the servants of God that surround the Vicar of Christ, the Pope. England had no such thoughts. The COE did not come into being because England was the seat of some great congregation of the rulers of the faith, or to enhance piety. It was simply a sordid divorce decision and as a result abbeys and churches were looted and destroyed and Catholic priests and citizens were tortured and executed. It actually became illegal to be a Catholic.

So you have to understand the sins of the ancestors to understand the weaknesses of the present. The COE has been a political and social instrument rather than a religious instrument ever since its inception. This makes it too easily distracted with every whim of the current social scene, rather than focus on reconnecting disaffected parishioners and the fallen away with God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. All faiths struggle with the secularization of this generation and with scandal. But COE seems obsessed with paying attention to anything except proclaiming Jesus Christ and living by the New Covenant. I have sympathy for the Monarchy as I do believe their piety and goodwill and they inherited their leadership of this secular structure and orientation. But the last thing they need is clergy who do nothing but obsess about "gender," "sexual preference," "political correctness," and whatever way the social winds blow.

Trust me, rather than gain the admiration of the Islamic scholars, talk like this shows what a "weak sister" the COE is in the dialogue between faiths. They will say and do anything except hold firm to their own faith, and no one respects that. Wake up! I see the COE crumbling into dust.